Mail-stamping mechanism.



C. LANKHUPP. MAIL STAMPING MBGHANISM.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 11,1908.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.`

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o.' LANKHUFF.'

MAIL STAMPING MEGHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11,1908,

Patented J an. 10, 1911.

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C. LANKHUPF.

MAIL STAMPING MEGHANISM. APPLIGATION FILED 1111,11 11,1908.

Patent-,ed Janflo, 1911.

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CHARLES LANKHUFF,

OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

MAIL-STAMPING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 10, 1911.

Application filed May 11, 1908. Serial No. 432,217.

To CLZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES LANKHUFF, citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Chio,have invented certain new and useful ln'iprovements in Mail-StampingMechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improved mechanism for separating and affixingpostage stamps.

One of its objects is to provide improved mechanism for feeding thestamps in the sheet, and separating the stamps therefrom.

Another object is to provide improved mechanism for moistening thestamps.

Another object is to provide improved mechanism for afhxing the stampsto envelops or packages.

Another object is to provide simple, reliable and efficient means forsuccessively carrying out the several steps of the operation.

It further consists in certain details of form, combination andarrangement, all of which will be more fully set forth in thedescription of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan View of my impoved mechanism. Fig. 2 is a detailof the carriage feed mechanism. Fig. 3 isa front elevation of Fig. l.Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the knives or shear-blades which serveto sever the stamps successively from the sheet. Fig. 5 is a plan viewof a spring washer employed to hold the knives tight against thestationary blades. Fig. G is a detail sectional View of the stampmoistening mechanism. Fig. 7 is a section on line X X of Fig. 8 andillustrating a modification of the mechanism shown in Figs. l and 3.Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of said modification. Fig. 9 is adetail View of one end of the carriage.

My improved mechanism is designed to hold a sheet of stamps, and tosuccessively meisten, detach and affix the respective stamps to lettersor packages.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the base or frame of themachine, A represents rods carried by the upturned ends Z of the frameA. The rods A are also preferably centrally supported by a bracket zprojecting up from frame A. A carriage B is composed of end sections Z)and a bed b which are secured together at b2. The carriage B issupported upon and adapted to slide along the rods A', being actuated byspring b3 attachedl at one end to the carriage and at the opposite endto frame A. roller C is loosely journaled in journal boxes c carried bythe end sections Z).

C represents a roller journaled in boxes c which are carried by arms c2which are pivoted at c3 to the ends b and are provided with springs cHLto press the roller C against roller C. A knurl c on the end of roller Cpermits the roller C to be readily turned by hand to feed the sheet ofstamps I (Fig. 1) forward from the bed o between rolls C C and over ashelf or table D. Located in a depression in the top of table D is ameistening pad CZ, preferably of felt, but may be of other textile orlike substance. A small reservoir Z serves to hold a supply of water tomeisten the pad fZ, the water being fed from the reservoir Z through atube Z2 and channel Z3 by means of a wick QZ". Above the pad Z andnormally out of contact therewith is a flexible sheet metal plate Ewhich is adapted to be pressed upon the face of pad CZ.

The end Z5 of the shelf D has a sharp edge and serves the purpose of astationary shear blade against which to sever one edge of the stamps.M Amovable knife or shear blade F pivoted at and held against the end ofthe shelf D-by a spring washer f acts in conjunction with blade Z5 insevering the stamp. The edge fZ of the uln'ight web Z7 of shelf l) alsoserves as a stationary blade at right angles to blade (Z5, and inconjunction with a movable blade F pivoted at f2 and held against webCZT by a flexible washer, serves to sever the stamps from the sheetalong the opposite angle.

As shown in Figs. l and 3, the movable blades F F are actuated by alever G pivoted at q and normally held in the position Fig. 3 by meansof a spring g. The lever G carries an actuating handle G and has a studg2 to which is fitted a plunger gi actuated by a spring g5. The blades FF are provided with ears f3 f4 which engage between the flange ofplunger g4L and the platen (/6 so as to cause the knives F F to move inunison with lever G. The lever G also carries a spring actuated plungerH which serves to press the metal plate E down upon the pad (Z, theattachment of plunger lil being such that it can accommodate :itself todiiliierent angles relative to Ace lever G, and thus press evenly uponall parts of plate E. The platen g has its under face covered with afacing or pad Q7, preferably of felt, which serves to press the severedstamp upon the letter or package. J represents a table or support forthe letter or package. Table J is vertically adjustable by means of pinsK which telescope into a support 7s, and is adjustable to the desiredheight by means of a screw threaded rod 7o which is journaled at itslower end in the support and with its upper end tapping a sleeve 722 ofthe table J a knurled head 7c3 serving to turn screw Za to adjust theheight of table J. The topof table J is `preferably faced with a feltpad 704. A gage L5 attached to the edge of table J serves to guide orlimit the position of the letter or package in receiving the stamp. Thecarriage B is automatically fed forward one step, equal to the width ofa stamp, at each operation of the lever Gr by means of a rack bar Lcarried stationarily relative to the carriage and a rack bar L which isattached to and movable relative to bar L the distance equal to thewidth of a stamp, by means of spring Z8 and slots Z9. A pawl is carriedby and pivotally attached to an arm Z carried by a rock-bar Z2, which isrocked by means of an arm Z3 connected at its free end by a link Zt withlever G. The movement of rock-bar Z2 causes the pawl Z to move fromengagement with rack-bar L into engagement with rack-bar L when lever Gris de pressed, and to return to engagement with the next tooth of bar Lwhen lever G rises, thus advancing the carriage step by step. Zhen thecarriage is returned by hand the pawl Z assumes the position shown indotted lines Fig. 2. Bar L may be attached to either side of bar L sothat rocking of bar Z2 in either direction at the depression of lever Grwill effect the desired movement of the carriage.

In the modification Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown a vertically movingmember M corresponding in function to the pivoted lever Gr of Figs. land 3. The member M is supported and adapted to move vertically upon apolygonal column m, and is normally held in the elevated position byspring m. The knives F3 F t are actuated by means of pins or studsengaging horizontal slots m2 in the edge of platen m3. m4 represents thespring plunger working above the plate E, and m5 an arm to rock therock-bar m6 to feed the carriage forward. In other respects themechanism is the same in Figs. 1 and 3 and 7 and 8.

In practice, a sheet of stamps I is placed upon the bed of carriage Band fed forward between rollers C C until one row of stamps overhangstable D with the rst stamp between the pad Z and plate E. The handle Gbeing depressed, the first stamp is pressed upon pad Z and moistened;when handle Gr is released and rises, the carriage feeds forwardcarrying the first stamp between the knives and the second stamp overthe pad CZ, A letter or package being placed upon table J, and table Jadjusted to height, handle G is again depressed, the knives F Fsererthelirststamp,and platen gG presses it upon the letter, and at the sametime the second stamp is moistened; with each succeeding operation astamp is detached until the first row is exhausted, when the carriage ismoved to the left by hand and a second row of stamps is fed betweenrolls C C. The plate E serves as a stripper to hold the stamp in placeon the pad CZ, and prevent knife F as it rises turning up the edge ofthe stamp over the pad CZ.

The mechanism herein illustrated and described is capable ofconsiderable modification without departing from the principle of myinvention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

l. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a carriage having astep-by-step movement, stamp-feeding rolls carried by said carriage, astationary shelf in front of said rolls, a moistening pad carried bysaid shelf, stationary shear blades arranged at right angles to eachother and carried by said shelf, a reciprocating platen, independentpivotally supported movable shear blades acting in conjunction with thestationary blades on said shelf and actuated by the movements of saidplaten, and a table to support the article to which the stamp is to beaffixed.

9.. In al mechanism'of the character indicated, a movable carriage,stamp-feeding rolls carried by said carriage, a stationary shelf infront of said rolls, a moistening pad carried by said shelf, stationaryshear blades arranged at substantially right angles to Y each other, areciprocating platen, and independent movable shear blades acting inconjunction with said stationary blades and actuated in unison with themovements of said platen.

In a mechanism of the character indicated, a movable carriage, amoistening pad stationarily located in front of said carriage, astationary blade at one side of said pad, a

stationary blade at right angles to said last named blade, areciprocating platen, a pair of movable blades acting in conjunctionwith said stationary blades to separate the stamps, a plate above saidpad, and between which and the pad the stamps pass, and a plungeractuated in unison with said platen to press said plate upon a stamp andthus force the stamp in contact with the pad.

4. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a movable carriage, astationary shelf Y in front of said carriage, a stamp moistening padcarried by said shelf, a reservoir containing a supply of water tomeisten said pad, and a wick leading from said reservoir to said pad, amovable platen adjacent to said pad to attix the moistened stamp, shearblades actuated by the movements of said platen to sever thel moistenedstamp from the stamp sheet, and a yielding platen carried by said stampattixing platen to press tlie stamps successively into contact with saidmoistening pad.

5. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a movable carriage, amoistening pad stationarily located in front of said carriage, astationary blade at one side ot' said pad, a support for tlie article towhich stamps are to be attixed, a reciprocating platen, a movable bladeacting in conjunction with said stationary blade to separate the stamps,a plate above said pad, and between which and the pad the stamps pass,and a plunger actuated in unison with said platen to press said plateupon a stamp and thus force the stamp in contact with the pad.

(3. In a mechanism of the character indicated, a movable carriage, amoistening pad stationarily located in front of said carriage, avstationary blade at one side of said pad, a support for the article towhich stamps are to be aliixed, a reciprocating platen, a movable bladeactingin conjunction with said stationary blade and moving, in unisonwith said platen, a flexible plate above said pad between which and thepad the stamps pass, and a spring actuated plunger carried by saidplaten to press said flexible plate upon said pad.

In testimony whereof I have atlixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES LANK'HU FF.

lVitnesses C. lV. MILES, A. McCommon.

